Papilio
by Strands of Ivy and Sakura
Summary: AU More and more murders spread through Tokyo like a wildfire, all under the hand of a mysterious mass murderer, Papilio. Hoping to catch him, Detective Ryuzaki Sakuno goes undercover at where she thinks he will strike next, Seigaku. Yet, a forgotten past lingers, wrapping Sakuno in her own personal mystery case.
1. Chapter 1

_ Chapter One_

_The feelings of love may not be absolute; easily swayed or destroyed, but love itself is definite. It may change names and forms stay permanent or temporary, but it does not leave. If my feelings of love for you may one day vanish, may that love we experienced stay absolute._

...

...

...

Case number: 845

Victim: Unknown

Body found: Back alley behind the 45 club

Time of death: 3:45 A.M

Appearance: Woman. 5'3''. Body had been drained of blood. Eyes missing. Hair shaved off. Stripped of clothes. A blue butterfly with black and white outline painted on back between to be painted with acrylics.

Notes: Body under same condition as Case #843

Police tape criss-crossed dangerously around the small alleyway. A petite woman crouched by the body, examining the evidence with latex gloves. She bit her lip, trying to let her brain to make a connection. This wasn't the first time she witnessed a crime scene, and it certainly would not be the last. Taking one last glance at the body, she told the team, "Bring it back to the office. Fuji-san can do a full examination."

...

Frustrated hands were wrung through her hair, the office desk astray. Outside the musty glass door, a jumbled mess of sounds bounced around. Millions of murder files were spread out on the table, various identities of both male and female._ Why? Why can't I find the connection? _

A slight knock hit the wooden door, and her head snapped up in surprise. Clearing her voice a bit, she said, "Come in."

A young man walked in and placed another file on her desk. The nametag on his lab coat read _S. Fuji_. He spoke in a light tone, "Here is the full report, Ryuzaki-chan."

She smiled gratefully as she scanned it over. That moment of gratitude was quickly replaced by annoyance. Throwing the file on the table, she rubbed her eyes slowly in agitation.

Fuji held a teasing smile as he laid a fresh cup of tea he had made on a blank spot on her desk. "Keep this up, Sakuno-chan, and the officials will be taking over this case."

"I know, Fuji-san," she said wearily. She gave him a silent nod of thanks as she drank from the tea. He took it as a sign of dismissal and quietly left her office.

Sakuno put the newest file next in line, trying to see if there was indeed a pattern that she could not have seen.

Case #843: Araki Shota. Young male in college. Was very charismatic. Blond with grey eyes. Attended Seirin High. Basketball player.

Case #844: Miyazaki Natsumi. Female in early teens. Known to be quiet. Black hair with blue eyes. Attended St. Rudolph. Tennis player.

Taking a sip of her tea, Sakuno glanced once again at her makeshift timeline. Brown eyes lingered at the school each of the two had attended. She tapped her fingers against the files before dragging up a map of the area. Eyes glazed over the layout before widening dramatically. She grabbed her phone briskly and pressed speed dial. "Sakai-san! I want you to look up every single high school the victims had attended!"

...

Once she had gathered all of the evidence needed, Sakuno laid out the files on top of the map of the Tokyo area. The team crowded anxiously as she laid down the last pieces of data. Grabbing a red pen, she started to speak. "Case #831. Fujita Ibuki. Male. Studied at Fudomine High." As she recited the school name, she circled its location with the crimson marker. "Case #836. Brooke Manz. Exchange student. Female. Studied at Hyotei." Sakuno continued to list the details of all of the cases as she circled the schools they had attended, until there was an array of polka-dots across the map.

Sakai, the data analyst, was the first to voice the question lingering on everyone's mind. "That's great and all, Detective Ryuzaki, but those tell us nothing."

Careful that everyone could see, Sakuno started to connect the lines. Questioning eyes turned into understanding as a shape of an unfinished butterfly appeared. "He's traveling in a defined path," Sakuno stated. "I don't know why, but I do know that, from his previous killings, his next victim will be most likely being male and will attend..." She paused as she circled the school darkly with her pen a number of times. "...Seishun Academy."

Yamazaki, the police officer that was assigned to the case, shook his head with determination. "We'll get a police officer there right away."

Sakuno shook her head and spoke with a quiet confidence. "That would scare him off."

"Then what's your plan?" Yamazaki pressed.

"Since it's a high school, I'll personally go there under cover. My face has never been exposed to the public, so I think it will be less troublesome," Sakuno explained.

Fuji let out a low chuckle. "It's quite easy to forget sometimes, Ryuzaki-chan, that you're only seventeen." Taking a slow breath, he said sincerely, "But I'll trust you on this one."

Slow murmurs of agreement filtered through the crowd. Sakuno bowed to the group, a grateful smile donning her face.

…...

…...

…...

A small lamp shed some light on the messy apartment. A figure leaned against his chair, a small antique butterfly dancing in his hands. Slowly, the corners of his lips lifted to a grin. Tossing the butterfly on his desk, it became part of the messy array of photographs. Then, almost inaudible, he whispered, "May the games begin, Miss Detective."

_-End Chapter 1-_

* * *

_And that's a wrap! I hope I did justice in the mystery field. I'm sorry if there was any OOCness, seeing that this is my first Ryosaku fanfic, I jut felt like Sakuno would have developed some backbone by now, which is why she is more bold. Also, feel free to point out any mistakes so I can fix it. Haha I'm rambling now. I hoped you guys enjoyed ~ Read, like, review._

_With love, _

_Strands of Ivy and Sakura_


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_

It had been two months. Two months since Ryuzaki Sakuno had transferred to Seishun Academy. Two months of her living a normal high school life. Two long months since the last serial killer attack.

Those were the things Sakuno thought about this morning. Students filtered in and out of classrooms, chatting with one another before the tortuous school day began.

Sakuno sat there quietly like the shy girl she was supposed to be. Moments of quiet were quickly brushed aside as her friend Tomoko burst into the room. Tackling her friend, Tomoko squealed happily, "The prince is back!"

"The prince?" Sakuno asked; a confused expression on her face. This seemed like a usual occurrence, seeing that Tomoka always seemed to want to announce something to her, whether appropriate or not.

"The great Echizen Ryoma!" Tomo exclaimed, assuming Sakuno would understand why she was jumping with joy. Sakuno didn't change her expression and Tomo elaborated with quick understanding, "Oh yeah, he was gone way before you transferred." Pulling out a notebook from her bag, Tomo laid out a collage of a man in front of Sakuno's eyes. "He's our top tennis player. Athletic and beautiful, Ryoma-sama is every girl's dream!" Tomo said, practically swooning.

Sakuno glanced at the pictures. Unlike her friend, she felt no emotional attraction. To her, he seemed like any other male she would encounter on the streets. Even without even formally meeting him, she could feel that arrogance that surrounded him and frankly, he seemed like somebody she would want to stay away from. His absence was unusual, though. Feigning slight interest, she asked, "You said he came back?"

A leering grin spread across Tomo's face, and she elbowed Sakuno playfully. "Ehh, so you think he's cute too? Since I'm a member of the official Ryoma Echizen fan club, I could ask them to consider giving you a membership."

A blush of embarrassment spread across Sakuno's face as she waved her hands in defense. "N-no! I was just curious, Tomo-chan."

A smug grin spread across Tomoko's face as she cleared her throat. "Ryoma-sama was in America for about a year." Tomo grabbed Sakuno's hands and spoke with a serious tone. "Ran-chan, we are going to go see him today at lunchtime today, okay?"

Sakuno stared absently. When she saw that Tomoko was still gazing at her, she realized it was addressed towards her and nodded in agreement. She had forgotten that she wasn't Ryuzaki Sakuno anymore. She was Ryuzaki Ran, Sakuno's cousin who was living with her grandma, Ryuzaki Sumire, while her parents were abroad.

The bell rang moments later and Tomo rushed to her seat, satisfied with her friend's answer. She gave "Ran" a small wink, sealing the deal. Sakuno smiled back faintly before turning towards the teacher. The day started quite normally. Sakuno would tune out the teacher's lectures, her mind lost in some other matter entirely. This lasted for a good amount of time before she heard a slight hum, something that sounded very similar to her name.

"Ryuzaki-san!" a loud voice blared through her ears. She blinked and noticed Nakagawa- sensei staring at her along with the the rest of her class.

Feeling a blush rise to her cheeks, she spoke feebly. "Yes, Sensei?"

A couple of snickers filtered through the room as the teacher let out a long sigh. Rubbing the space between his eyebrows wearily, he said, "Please keep in mind that this is not a place for you to daydream."

She nodded her head in humiliation. Nakagawa-sensei just waved his hand as he turned back to the chalkboard. "Meet me after class, Ryuzaki-san."

Class seemed to pass by haltingly before bell rang and students filtered out of the room to grab their lunches. Tomoko passed Sakuno's desk, a sympathetic look on her face. "Let's meet at the courts," she whispered before leaving.

When all the students had left, the teacher gestured to his desk. His arms were crossed as he asked Sakuno genuinely, "Ryuzaki-san, what can I do to make you pay attention in class?"

Sakuno bit her lip a bit and muttered, "I-I don't know, Sensei."

"Ryuzaki, you're in high school right now. You have a lot of potential, but if you don't focus, you won't be able to get a recommendation." Sensei continued.

Sakuno looked down and nodded in understanding. "I'll try to pay more attention from now on."

He sighed once more and said, "You're dismissed."

She nodded before exiting the room. Sensei's words repeated themselves in her head, bringing back some unpleasant reminders. Shaking her head a bit to brush away unwanted thoughts, Sakuno also let out a long sigh a bit before muttering; "Now I have to go find Tomo-chan." Assuming that the courts wouldn't be that hard to find since they were, of course, not inside the school building, she just walked outside, thinking that she would run into it eventually. That thought turned out not to be the case though. Minutes passed by, and Sakuno had not even seen a trace of the tennis courts. Giving up after passing by the same lamp fifteen times, Sakuno leaned against a nearby vending machine. She closed her eyes tightly and tried to take deep breaths, hoping the panic that was building in her chest would die down.

She leaned there for awhile before the sound of somebody clicking her tongue roused her awake. Sakuno's eyes widened in bewilderment. The cap had hid the stranger's face, making it hard to recognize him. He tilted his face, golden eyes glaring at Sakuno. Realizing she was blocking the vending machine, she moved out of the side and bowed, apologies flowing out of her mouth.

As he was buying his drink, Sakuno looked a bit closer at his appearance, noticing the tennis bag that was slung over his shoulder. Her face lit up a bit, and she asked nervously, "I'm really sorry, but I can't find my way to the tennis courts. Could you please lead me there?"

He picked up his drink and stood up. Another glare was issued as he said, "Hn. How troublesome." He spared her not another glance as he walked past her.

Her shoulders slumped a bit in disappointment as the figure got farther away.

He stopped abruptly and turned his head back, tilting it. She stared at him a bit, not quite sure what he had wanted it from her. Time passed by, and seeing that Sakuno still had not gotten what he was trying to portray, a little huff escaped his lips and he flicked his head in the direction he was travelling in. A relieved grin spread across her face, understanding washing over her features. She ran up towards him as quick as she could. Slowing down so she was beside him, Sakuno said warmly, "Thank you!"

They walked around in a tense silence. While she was very much thankful for his agreement to help, Sakuno couldn't help but feel like a burden to him. After all, she was the one that had to bother him due to her terrible sense of direction.

The figure seemed to be quite familiar with the school, and soon the faint outlines of the courts were seen. They'd barely even entered the perimeter before being swarmed by waves and waves of girls, and Sakuno was easily thrown aside by the crowd. Unable to reach the boy that had helped her; she tried to find eye contact and bowed in thanks. Once she was certain he had seen her gesture, Sakuno turned around before seeing her friend Tomoka in the distance and ran up to her. Tomo held a flabbergasted expression, her eyes opened wide in shock. Slowing down as she neared her, Sakuno spoke to Tomo, "Sorry about taking so long. I got lost and had to ask somebody for help." Seeing that Tomo still looked as astonished as before, Sakuno tapped her shoulder a bit and asked, "Are you okay, Tomo-chan?"

Tomoka's finger shook a bit as she pointed at the mob. "Ran-chan! You just got escorted by Ryoma-sama!"

Sakuno's eyes widened as she glanced at the mob. She pointed at the crowd dubiously with her thumb. "You mean him?"

Tomoka squealed as she hugged a very surprised Sakuno. "Yes, him! You're so lucky!" Glancing over her friend's shoulder, Tomo saw the crowd disperse and a disheveled Ryoma walk towards the courts. Grabbing Sakuno's arm, she dragged her in the same direction. With a chipper tone, Tomo exclaimed, "Come on, Ran-chan! Let's cheer Ryoma-sama on!"

It was nearly impossible to reach there without swimming through mobs after mobs of fangirls. Sakuno held on tightly to her friend's hand, unable to see anything but the girls school uniforms.

After struggling for the next ten minutes and Tomoka almost starting a catfight with one of the girls, they were able to find a good view by the fence, Tomo jumped up and down in anticipation. Seeing that Ryoma had already started the match, she started screaming her cheers as loud as her voice box was able to produce. Covering one of her ears, Sakuno turned towards the match. What she witnessed, though, was mesmerizing. His serves seemed to be suspended in the air, and before the opponent could even bat an eyelash, it was already crashing at the opposite corner of the base line. His aura on court was so contagious that soon Sakuno was silently cheering for him as well. His playing had almost had a familiar feel to it, and Sakuno couldn't seem to shake that feeling away through the whole match. Simply put, she was captivated from beginning to end. She wouldn't have realized the match had ended if not for the dispersing crowd. Tomo smiled happily as she clenched her hands into a fist over her heart. "Ryoma-sama's playing is truly mesmerizing."

Sakuno nodded her head vaguely in agreement, her mind constantly replaying the previous match. The two stood together for awhile before Tomo glanced at her watch. Her eyes enlarging, she exclaimed, "Shoot! I was supposed to be home 15 minutes ago! Mom's gonna kill me!" Giving her friend a quick hug, she bolted towards the gates, waving as she left.

Sakuno just chuckled at her friend's antics. Glancing at her watch, she decided it would be a good time to walk home and prepare dinner. Sakuno glanced around the perimeter before seeing her grandma and walked over and told her of her plans. Rubbing her head bashfully, Sumire replied, "I'm sorry, Ran-chan, but I have to stay back and do a bit of paperwork. You will have to leave without me first."

Sakuno just smiled softly and told her that it was really not a big problem. Bidding her grandma adieu, Sakuno walked down the same path as Tomo had done moments before. Imagine her astonishment when she noticed that the Ryoma Echizen she had just seen moments before was standing right by the gate. As soon as she reached the doors, he started to walk. Puzzlement was evident on her face, but she brushed it off and attempted to walk home, emphasis on attempted. After a couple of meters, she turned around to see that Ryoma was following her. A tense smile was on her face as she asked him, "Is there something you need, Echizen-san?"

He spoke in monotone. "Your grandma wants me to walk you home."

"Like a stalker, it seems," Sakuno muttered, embarrassed by her grandmother's inanity. Ryoma raised an eyebrow, and she realized he might have heard her offhand comment. She attempted to brush it off and said courteously, "Thank you for the concern."

He walked right past her, though, and asked bluntly, "Where's your house?"

Feeling annoyed now, Sakuno reluctantly walked next to him and began to lead the way. Wanting to get rid of the growing silence, she complimented, "G-good job on your match today."

A simple 'hn' was all she received. She gave up after attempting asking about how he felt being back in Japan, yet receiving the same response. Eventually, they reached her home, and she bid him an awkward goodbye. As she shut the front door and removed her shoes, a familiar feeling of relief filled her. The black wig was taken off, exposing her brown locks. She walked up towards her room to drop off her things. As she entered, she noticed that the window was open. Shaking her head a bit at her forgetfulness, she went to close the lunette. Before she could finish the task, though, she noticed a note on the ground. Picking it up, her eyes widened as she read it.

_7 361 16 64 1 169 18 24 9 22 529 _

_1 169 18 11 529_

_1 169 16 16_

_22 9 529 24 _

_361 18_

_529 18 361 1_

_Sincerely yours, _

_Papilio_

_- End chapter 2 -_

**A/N: **Thank you so much for all of your support! I'm glad that a lot of people are enjoying my stories. Special thanks to Michelle88222, Guest, LollipopLawliet, and Cityangelz for reviewing. Feel free to point out any mistakes and I'll change them. As always; read, like, and review.

Strands of Ivy and Sakura****


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